Glenn Hubbers

This feels like a case of something very fishy going on, and I thought I’d throw it out there for opinions.

On a recent vacation to New Brunswick, Mollie and I arrived late to our camp site in Kouchibouguac National Park.  Early enough to set up camp, but late enough that the local grocery store in nearby Richibucto was closed.

For the few provisions we needed to supplement dinner, Mollie purchased several highly overpriced items along with a fillup at a gas station in St Louis de Kent.

Now I am one of those people who keeps gas receipts, writing the odometer reading down with each fill up and diligently recording the purchase in a spreadsheet.  I have years worth of data showing gas prices, kilometers driven and the fuel economy of my car.

Here is the receipt from this transaction.  Does something look wrong to anyone else?

My first hint was the 63 litres of gasoline.

I drive a 2005 Pontiac Vibe with a 49 litre tank. You couldn’t physically fit 63 litres of fuel into this car.  My fillups, even when I feel I’m running on fumes, are never more than 45 litres. 

So it would seem that the gas station adjusts the number of litres purchased upwards to account for the other products purchased in their store. Based on my average mileage on this trip, this fill up should have been about 42 litres, not 63.  And Mollie confirms the extra $20 is about right for what she bought.

At first you might think who cares, so long as the total price is the same?

But by doing so I am charged taxes incorrectly.

$0.10 per litre federal excise tax x 63 litres.

$0.145 per litre road tax x 63 litres. (I can’t find the NB Road tax on google, this is calculated.)

I’m sure the HST is applied to everthing anyway.

Based on my estimated fillup of 42 L, that makes it a $5.15 overcharge.

Perhaps this is an error on their part, but I can’t see how.  I’ve never run a gas station, but I’m thinking you would have to account for the amount of gas sold versus the amount of gas purchased wholesale, and if your books say you sold more than you bought it might raise questions.  So their gasoline inventory books would have to reflect the actual litres sold and not this made up number.

And if they are remitting the federal excise tax and provincial road tax based on the record of actual litres sold, they would be pocketing the extra $5.15.  Multiplied by hundreds or thousands of customers, that could be a lot of money.

I was overcharged, that much is clear.  Either the federal and New Brunswick governments came out ahead on the deal, which I doubt, or this gas station owner is guilty of something.

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